One gamer ordered a single XBOX Wireless Controller X25 Special Edition and opened a box holding six. The likeliest explanation in the Reddit comments is dull. Somebody at a warehouse scanned a sealed case pack as one unit, and a stranger ended up with $480 of anniversary hardware for the price of one.
The comments weren’t just about whether the buyer deserved his luck. Plenty of people wanted to know where they could get one themselves. I find the begging more telling than the suspicion, because nobody pleads with strangers for a spare gamepad unless the gamepad looks like 2001 in green plastic, and that pull is what Microsoft wants you paying $79.99 for. My job here is to figure out how much of the price buys anything beyond the memory.
Start with the bumpers. Microsoft colored them black and white as a nod to the two extra face buttons on the original “Duke” controller, before the 360 moved them up to the shoulders. Most buyers will miss the reference. You won’t, and the X25 was made for you.
The battery door is where I keep looking. Microsoft says it’s the first translucent battery door it has shipped, and with the back case fully clear as well, the classic XBOX logo shows through the plastic. Jason Ronald, VP of Next Generation, describes the controller as “showcasing 25 years of play inside.” Nice line. What’s inside, mostly, is a pair of AA cells.
A green XBOX button and the original ABXY colors finish the costume.
The best extra doesn’t appear on the product page at all. Players who’ve already paired one with an XBOX Series console report that it recognizes the controller and unlocks an exclusive dynamic background with no code to redeem, the same trick the 20th anniversary pad pulled. One commenter shrugged it off as lackluster.
Power still comes from AAs, rated for up to 40 hours by Microsoft’s own testing on preproduction units. No rechargeable pack is mentioned anywhere on the listing.
Microsoft hasn’t mentioned any thumbstick upgrades, despite the steady stream of stick-drift complaints. Then there’s the ordering mess. The Reddit post about the buyer who received six controllers attracted replies from people with canceled preorders and one person who reported being charged twice without receiving a shipping notice.
Some players would rather have the simpler look of the 20th edition. I get the appeal of the X25’s green finish, but $79.99 is a lot to spend on appearance alone.
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Still have the 20th anniversary controller sealed? Then you already understand the appeal of another limited-edition Xbox pad. Microsoft has a matching console background for Series X and Series S, plus Xbox Wireless and Bluetooth support for PC.
I have a soft spot for the X25‘s green finish, but that’s not enough to get my money yet. Microsoft hasn’t said anything about upgraded internals, and I’d rather see how the thumbsticks hold up after months of regular play than take a chance at $79.99. I’d be less hesitant had a rechargeable battery come in the box.